The year 2008, summer was kissing the cold ground in USA and I was still living alone- the kind of life that we see only in movies of a man with no relatives, few friends and a million hobbies to pursue. It was a sunny weekend when my buddy called me and asked if I would be willing to join him on a drive the state of Indiana where his uncle had organized a car race. My friend knew that I wouldn’t refuse him, what he didn’t know was he could have asked me for anything I possessed in return including my arms and legs for such an opportunity.
Friday evening we set off on his loyal Toyota Camry, we had to pick up another family on the way and then we hit the highway ambling at the speed limit on what was a 3 hour drive. We reached Indiana in late evening and I met my friend’s uncle Mr Kumar. He had brought with him his race tuned Ford Mustang with white paint that was chipping , some duct tapes to keep the lights from falling off, very low ground clearance and a very uncomfortable looking interior. Mr Kumar allowed me to sit in the car, the driver seat of a race car is very different from that of a normal car, it is very tight fitting, there is very little movement possible for the body, it does not recline, there is very little movement allowed for the head (considering the driver wears a helmet while racing), the steering is much closer to the chest and the gear lever is very close to the steering wheel, also the seat belt is called a racing harness and fits the way the straps of a school bag fits a kid. Once I was in the driving seat I fit so tight that I couldn’t get out and my friend had to pull me out. We had dinner together and slept at a motel close to the track.
Next morning we drove to the race track which was a small yet beautiful one. The only race I had seen in front of me was the one that used to be organized at the Safdarjung Airport in Delhi back in the 80s, so this was something I had been waiting for an eternity. Since Mr Kumar was organizing the event and was short of staff, he needed someone to inspect the cars of the other racers for safety. I grabbed the opportunity, took the safety sheets and inspected all the cars that had arrived for the race. It was fun as I got to sit inside some of the most exotic cars like Corvettes, Jaguars and Lotus. After the inspection, the race was a go.
The sound of a race car is very different from the street car, they have high revving engines- some with superchargers and some with turbochargers and each car makes its own unique sound. I loved the sound they were making except for one Jaguar (XJS with turbo) which made a deafening noise every time it went past the grandstands where I was sitting. I had to literally cover my ears to save my hearing. The race lasted all day; some cars spun off the track and hit the tire wall while others were limping to the pit lane towards the end. Since the racers were not competing against each other and only setting lap times for them, there were no winners or losers.
At the pit lane some old people came with their vintage and classic cars, there were two jaguars in original British racing green color. One of them was a XK150 while the other was a car I never thought I would ever get to see in this life or the next. It was a Jaguar E-Type, often considered the most beautiful car ever made. The vintage and classic cars were allowed a couple of laps when I asked Mr Kumar to have a go. The only car I could drive was my friend’s camry, but I wasn’t complaining. There were in all 4 people in the car when I took it for a spin. I was driving, my friend was next to me and at the back were two other spectators. I went slow in the first lap and put on some speed in the second. The experience of driving on the race track was mind-blowing. I retired the car to the pits and that’s when Mr Kumar had another surprise waiting for me. He volunteered to drive me around the track in his Mustang. I had to wear a crash helmet and I was asked to hold on tightly to the roll cage.
Mr Kumar did a burnout start with smoke from the tires filling the inside of the car, and then the car went as if it was shot off an aircraft carrier. I have been on a few roller coasters but this was a completely different experience. While my hands and legs were frozen by the immense speed and high speed turns, there was a man sitting next to me who was actually driving and making those high speed turns. At times I simply closed my eyes especially before entering a corner. The experience was exhilarating and the day had ended in a fabulous way, now all we had was a drive back home with great big smile on our faces.
